Highway Expansion
Basics
Freeway Fighters Across the U.S. Are Joining Forces — And They Want You
America's midcentury freeway revolts never really stopped — and now, the advocates behind them are joining forces to create what may be the largest organized national effort to prioritize communities over highways yet.
April 27, 2022
Two Big Reasons States Keep Expanding Freeways
Highway widening advocates offer up a kind of manifest destiny storyline: population and traffic are ever-increasing, and unless we accommodate them we’ll be awash in cars, traffic and gridlock. The rising tide of cars is treated as a irresistible force of nature. But is it?
April 22, 2022
McConnell Tells States To Just Ignore Biden’s Progressive New Road Priorities
After the Biden administration told states that they should spend federal transportation dollars on projects that put safety, sustainability, equity, and road repair first, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Shelley Moore Capito told GOP governors to ignore the guidelines and spend the money any way they want.
February 11, 2022
Bake Sales for Crosswalks?
Why is Idaho spending $100 million on a freeway interchange while letting residents crowdfund for basic pedestrian amenities? Daniel Herriges explores.
February 10, 2022
Feds Throw Wrench Into Oregon Highway Widening
More environmental assessment is needed for the I-5 Rose Quarter freeway plan.
February 2, 2022
GOP Govs to Biden: Don’t Force Your Progressive Politics on our Highway Projects
Republican governors banded together to thwart the federal government's push to use the new $1.2-trillion infrastructure package to promote progress on climate change, jobs and racial justice.
January 21, 2022
USDOT Pressures States To Spend New Infrastructure Funds Sustainably
As states begin cashing no-strings-attached federal infrastructure checks, U.S. DOT is pushing them to spend those funds on projects that will help end the climate and roadway death crises.
December 17, 2021
Opinion: Louisville’s ‘Fix’ for Traffic Congestion Shows the Irrationality of Drivers
Two states spent $1 billion doubling the size of I-65, only to have half as many people use the bridge. Nothing more clearly illustrates the utter folly of highway expansions.
November 18, 2021
L.A. Times Analysis Shows Racist Harms of Freeway Projects
In five states — California, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas — the paper found that large highway building projects demolished homes predominantly in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
November 13, 2021
New ‘Induced Demand’ Calculator Shows Exactly How Much Driving Your City’s Highway Expansion Will Encourage
A new calculator shows the real impacts of proposed highway expansions in their communities — and the experts behind the project hope that transportation agencies will someday be required to use it, too.
October 20, 2021
